The Portland daily press., 1887-04-23

most that gets the best reward in life, and
that was but following the way Of the
wsrld
When we turned in, we had to let the fire
die out or it would have smoked us out, and
we crowded in under the boat as solid as we
could. SO as to make the rain clothes cover
us as much as possible. We did not stop to
put on night shirts but went to bed with our
overcoats and shoes OIL must have walked
a dozen times and always wondering whether
or not my feet were frozen of. My dreams
were that was nestled close to fire or
tucked between warm sheets and blan-
kets OF wandering around somewhere in the
tropics-then think how ugly / felt every
time awoke to the reality. At half past two
in the morning awoke and was surprised to
hear no pattering rain on the bottom OF the
boat and could not hear the wind whist
ling. could understand that my feet were
wet and cold, and that should have pneu-
monia sc. knew also that warm ham
mock was preferable to cold and wet beach
so | reused the others and we launched the
boat. We put everything into the boat that
we could find in the dark and rowed out Of
the cove. We rowed mile before the wind
commenced to rise again and at half-past
four rounded point aud came in sight OF
the ship.
Thence it was but short pull to the ship
but we met the steam launch with search
party who tosk us soon aboard lost no
time in commencing to thaw my feet, then
turned in to sleep till :even o'clock. My feet
continued thawing but my dreams were that
was back on the beach again. That morn
ing, Jan. %, we left Port Stanley with its
peat boys, its rain. cold weather and heavy
winds. 1t is truth vouched by everybody
that there it either rains, blows or SHOWS and
generally does all three together. The coun-
try is one vast bog and as not tree grows
on the island it is very lucky that it is so.
Were it not for the peat the place could not
be inhabited. One feature of the country is
that every hill looks exactly like every other
one. found that out to my cost one day
when one Of my messmates and myself went
hunting and got lost coming back to the boat.
They have one little graveyard scantily peo-
pied with invalids from passing ships,
drowned people and hunters who have been
in the miserable bog-land.
The people seem to be lazy and fond Of ly-
ing on their backs waiting for shipwrecked
mariners or voyagers In need Of provisions.
When these appear all the prices go up and
everybody sails in to make money off them.
Even the little children have the money
making fever One little fellow Of eight
years said 'In the winter the snow is mon
strous Ugh. Last winter small child got
loc 30 he hoe auoruhndxr xuaa farri-
BILE sorry and ]. X. Richards hoffered pund
to hany of hus boys as could find him. But
anderson hoffered ten shillin and Mr.. Ar
rison hoffered a crown. united all day for
i'm, but we never found i'm. / wanted to
find i'm horful bad, a pound and three
crowns is worth workin for"
We were at sea a little less than three days
and made Cape Vergins, the northern
Cape of Magellan Straits on the 25th in the
afternoon. We anchored at night inside
point that looks something like Sandy Hook
having beacon on the end of it. The only
marks to aid navigation are beacons, with
red and white horizontal stripes. and an oc-
casional buoy. Light houses could not be
maintained except at great cost and that cost
will not be paid until there is more travel
through the straits. We got under way at
four o'clock the next morning and steamed
up the straits. The narrowest place that we
passed through was mile broad but we were
in the widest part and the country there was
not mountainous That night we reached
Sandy Point or as the Chiliane call it Punta
Arenas. don't understand why they try
to call such scraggly little place by such
high sounding name as Punta Arenas when
the good English name of Sandy Point suits
it so much better. But these Chiliane, who
own the straits, have just got the best of an
other country and they are so proud they in
sist in giving their own names tot heir own
towns.
Immediately on dropping anchor, we re-
ceiyed a visit from health officer who
promptly put us into quarantine, as we came
from Monte Video, and ordered us down to
the quarantine station here at Elizabeth
Island about twelve miles to the eastward Of
Sandy Point.
We are in need of coal. so we had to lie out
our quaritine here in order to get it when
our time is out. Before we left the town a
boat came out to us and keeping to the wind
ward of us, wanted to know If we were in
need of provisions. We told them that we
were, stated our wants and got their prices
Sometime after they turned their provisions
out to us in boat-Cast loose the boat and
we picked it up. We emptied the boat and
put in the money to pay for the provisions,
then we turned the boat adrift and they
picked it up again. A Gillian gunboat
superintendent the transfer, but nobody ven
tured on board. They treated US as fash
ionable lady would treat dirty ragmuffin,
gathered up her skirts, theoretically, and gave
us wide birth. But they did not forget the
conventionalities, for the beef was tota lily
unfit for food. We ran down to Elizabeth
Island the second day after we got into
Sandy Point. This Island Is full Of geese,
ducks, with sprinkle of snipe, plover and
swarg / shot ten geese in one afternoons
hunt of two hours. We sent a liberty party
ashore and they laid low over a hundred
young geese and goslings. am going ashore
now to see the town. the health officer having
given us s.pratiQue,a that is giving US per-
mission to go out of quarantine, We have
not got to the mountainous part Of the Straits
yet and the scenery is not worth describing.
am glad Of that for don't like to describe.